The Daily Life of a Concubine

Untitled Part 78

"It's nothing, Xiao Li, you too, keep a close eye on the people in the main hall. Don't let anyone exploit loopholes. Chunfeng and Chunyu, you two watch the small kitchen closely. I want to see what new tricks they're up to."

It wasn't that Bai Jingxian was overly sensitive, but she had a reasonable suspicion. The Emperor likely wanted to use her as a pawn against someone. The only question was, who?

On the surface, her only obvious enemies in the harem were Lan Guifei and Wen Jieyu.

Among the concubines from the Zhang family, only Xian Fei remained. Bai Jingxian didn't think she could help the Emperor deal with the Zhang family.

She couldn't figure it out, and thinking further only led to confusion. She decided to wait and see.

Perhaps Bai Jingxian's expression was too severe, as the servants in the room grew anxious.

"Yes, My Lady, I'll keep a close eye on those people," Xiao Li, a loyal servant, didn't question his mistress's reasoning. He simply followed orders.

Chunfeng and the others followed suit.

"Yes, My Lady. I'll keep a tight watch on the small kitchen. If anyone dares to meddle, I'll break their bones," Chunyu said fiercely, unable to hold back before Chunfeng even had a chance to speak.

Chunshui and Chunjing nodded in agreement.

Wang Momo's heart skipped a beat. Her mind was racing, and after a while, her eyes lit up as if she had figured something out. She glanced at Bai Jingxian with bright eyes.

Naturally, Bai Jingxian noticed her expression.

"Alright, everyone, leave. Wang Momo, stay."

Soon, only the two of them remained in the room.

"Momo, you've also started to have doubts, haven't you?" Bai Jingxian spoke vaguely, but the smile on her face sent chills down one's spine.

"Your Highness is suspicious of the Emperor?" Wang Momo's heart sank. She dreaded being forced to choose between the Emperor and her mistress. If possible, she hoped they would remain in harmony. "But why would the Emperor...?"

Previously, Bai Jingxian hadn't sensed anything. However, the Emperor's concern over her pregnancy the previous day had left her uneasy.

Although she couldn't figure out what the Emperor intended to do with the twins she carried, she could sense that his emotions towards her unborn twins were unusual, though deeply concealed.

"Yes, why indeed?" Bai Jingxian still couldn't make sense of it. "Momo, I need you to subtly test the Emperor's feelings for me." If the Emperor intended to use her, she would accept it. After all, in the harem, being useful ensured survival. The idea of relying on favor alone seemed too precarious to her.

"Understood," Wang Momo didn't hesitate this time and agreed immediately.

Seeing her willingness, Bai Jingxian knew the reason was the use of the Gu poison. "Alright, you may go now."

Bai Jingxian wasn't mistaken—Zhao Jinrui did indeed have plans involving her pregnancy.

However, his scheme wasn't aimed at harming her or the children. His target was someone else entirely.

After learning that she was carrying twins, Zhao Jinrui had become anxious.

There was a long-held secret in the royal family: when twins were born into the royal household, one must live, and one must die—unless one was male and the other female.

This secret had been hidden by the royal family for generations.

Back in the era of the Zhao family's ancestors, a pair of royal twins nearly led to the collapse of the empire. Had it not been for the decisive actions of the reigning emperor at the time, the dynasty might not have survived.

Though both twins were of the Zhao bloodline, their impact was vastly different. One brother was talented in both governance and military strategy, while the other was filled with ambition but lacked capability. If someone like that had ascended the throne, the Zhao family's rule would have long since ended.

Because of this incident, every emperor passed down the rule: when twins were born, one must die.

If Bai Jingxian had been a little more perceptive, she would have realized that despite carrying twins, her status as Liangdi hadn't changed at all.

In theory, a pregnant concubine in her position, carrying children different from the others, should have been promoted at the very least. But apart from some private rewards from Xiao Xiazi, she had received nothing.

It seemed her mind wasn't as sharp during pregnancy, or she would have noticed this earlier.

Bai Jingxian reclined on the soft couch, her mind racing with countless conspiracies. She kept trying to figure out what the Emperor's true intentions were but couldn't reach a conclusion.

With Xian Fei quieting down, Bai Jingxian's life had become more comfortable. The Emperor would visit from time to time to dine with her, and her days were peaceful.

But even the most peaceful days must come to an end.

Sure enough, a major event occurred in the court.

In Jiangnan, someone had led a rebellion against the imperial government, and the shadow guards were forced to initiate a massacre to suppress it.

This event shocked the entire Da Yue dynasty.

As a consort, Bai Jingxian couldn't avoid hearing about it, especially since the harem was always linked to the court.

Meanwhile, Defu had returned to the palace with the Empress and her entourage from the summer retreat.

Combined with the chaos in the court, the entire harem fell into disarray, especially since many of the concubines had family members involved in the government.

Each woman feared that her family might be implicated, and many were anxious about the fate of their kin.

The only one seemingly unconcerned was Bai Jingxian, mainly because she didn't care much for the Bai family.

Still, she hadn't expected the Bai family to have the audacity to send her a letter.

"Hah, what nerve. Do they really think they deserve this?" Bai Jingxian fumed when she read her father's letter. She was tempted to slap him twice for his brazenness.

He had the audacity to suggest she persuade the Emperor to allow him to go to Jiangnan and seize an easy opportunity. No way.

If her guess was correct, the Emperor's trusted aides were already in control of Jiangnan.

Who did her father think he was to dare interfere with the Emperor's affairs?

"Don't be angry, My Lady. You mustn't upset the little masters," Chunfeng said with concern, seeing her mistress's agitation.

"Don't worry, I won't harm my children for the sake of outsiders. I just find it laughable."

Bai Jingxian folded the letter. "Bring Xiao Li in."

Such matters were not something she, a delicate flower, could decide. She would let the Emperor handle the Bai family's supposed loyalty.

"Yes."

Soon, Xiao Li entered. "What can I do for you, My Lady?"

The palace had been in turmoil recently, and Xiao Li had been growing more anxious, worried that someone might harm his mistress.

"Take this to the Emperor and tell him that I can't decide on this matter. Also, hand over the person who delivered the letter to Eunuch Defu," Bai Jingxian replied. She wanted to be the perfect, delicate consort, leaving everything to the Emperor to handle.

"Yes," Xiao Li didn't quite understand but knew about the enmity between his mistress and her family. If she weren't pregnant, the Bai family would have long been ruined.

Since the Empress's return to the palace, apart from the initial gathering of all the concubines, she had excused all the pregnant women from attending court.

In the entire harem, aside from a few low-ranking attendants, only Xian Fei remained unpregnant.

Yes, she was the only one.

The Empress, disliking Xian Fei, had excused her from paying respects.